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Rest

In Blog, Book Reviews, Busyness on
July 17, 2023

All Who Are Weary

Busyness seems to be the hallmark of our society. Everybody is busy. Everybody is quickly moving from one thing to the next, barely having a moment to just pause and take a breath. Our daily schedules are packed full, and if we aren’t constantly doing something, we feel as if we won’t be able to accomplish everything we need or want to do.

But after a while, this constant busyness begins to weigh us down. We become tired, weary, burdened by all the priorities and responsibilities we’ve put upon ourselves. And when we allow this weariness to fester in our lives without seeking any rest or relief, it often morphs into anxiety, depression, or a host of other negative side effects.

As believers, we don’t have to sit in this weariness. We don’t have to stay in the anxiety and depression because we have a Savior who loves us, and cares for us, and who has offered to take our burdens upon Himself. What exactly does this look like? Well, Sarah Hauser elaborates on this process in her new book, All Who Are Weary.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on
April 25, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Burdened

I do not watch horror movies. I know that some of you are probably flabbergasted that I haven’t and will never watch anything that falls in your favorite movie genre, but I just don’t enjoy horror films. I don’t like the jump scares. I don’t like to be kept up all night worrying that someone or something is going to kill me. And since most horror movies feature some demonic character, I don’t like focusing on these creatures that are very evil and very real.

I think a lot of people can forget that demons are real beings because we don’t typically see obvious examples or evidence of demon possession in today’s world. But they are real, and they have possessed many real people. During His ministry, Jesus encountered many people who were possessed by demons. One of them was a particularly burdened soul who dwelled in the Gentile region of the Gerasenes.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Isaiah on
December 20, 2021

A Child is Born

Christmas is a busy time of year. It’s a time of baking cookies, hosting holiday parties, and singing all of your favorite Christmas carols. It’s a time of wrapping presents, drinking hot chocolate, and last-minute shopping for that one family member you didn’t know was coming into town. It’s a time of hanging lights, decorating trees, and watching classic films, like Home AloneChristmas with the Kranks, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. For some, Christmastime is filled with joy and cheer. For others, Christmastime is filled with stress and exhaustion.

No matter what life stage or season we’re in, we all have busy schedules at the end of each year, and we all get to a point where it feels like there is so much to do and so little time to do it all in. But as we attempt to fit in all the festivities and events, we miss something. We forget that Christmas is about more than the gifts and the music and the décor. It’s a day when we are to celebrate the birth of a child. And not just any child, but the Son of God.

What is so special about this child? Why does this boy named Jesus deserve our focus, our reverence, our worship? We can discover the answers to these questions by consulting a roughly 2,700-year-old Jewish prophecy written by a man named Isaiah.

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In Anxiety, Blog, Theology on
April 26, 2021

Cast Your Cares

One of the greatest struggles in my life is anxiety. I’m constantly asking, “What if?”, and thinking through every situation that could ever possibly happen. But sometimes my anxiety is more than just overthinking and overanalyzing. A couple months ago I got contacts for the first time. When I was trying to practice using contacts, I was having a hard time taking them out, and I could feel my anxiety starting to bubble up. My hands started shaking, I felt light-headed and dizzy, and it was almost hard to breathe.

Maybe you can relate. Maybe you have anxiety that hits you out of nowhere and takes your breath away. Maybe you panic at the thought of potentially awkward social situations, or you overanalyze what your friends or co-workers think of you. Maybe you feel like you just can’t help thinking through the worst-case scenarios. As believers, we’re often taught that we should never feel anxious, and this may make us feel like we’re failing as Christians. But this is not quite what the Bible teaches.

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In Blog, Book Reviews, Spiritual Growth on
December 28, 2020

Chasing Perfect

I’ve never really been the kind of person that makes New Year’s resolutions. I’m convinced it’s because I’m a perfectionist, and I know that I won’t keep my resolutions perfectly. Perhaps you can relate. According to U.S. News & World Report, eighty percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by mid-February.[1] We can resolve to eat better, exercise regularly, or be the best mom, wife, or student possible, but what is the point? The odds are that we’ll fail within two months, leaving us more empty and exhausted than we were before. We’re attempting to chase perfection, yet it seems like we’re destined to fall short.

In Alisha Illian’s book Chasing Perfect, she reminds us that we are not perfect and that nothing we can do will ever be enough for us to achieve this perfection that we seek. Instead of pursuing resolutions, she encourages her readers to chase after something, or rather Someone, who is truly perfect-

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